Let's Make Patch Notes - Items

This is an extension of RazeMage's Let's Make Patch Notes thread. In this one, we will be discussing items. Prices, stats, efficiency, trends, and whatnot.

Let's divide these problems up into two main categories - current items, and new items. I feel like there are way too few items in this game right now, forcing a LOT of restricted build.

Here is a list of prominent and major issues, in no order.

• Balancing the Frostbound and Gem items. (Finished, page three)
  
  
• Lack of viable magical protection items. (Page 15)
  
  
• Lack of viable critical strike chance items. (Finished, page nine)
  
  
• Midgardian Mail's uselessness. (Finished?)
  
  
• Gauntlet of Thebes WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU (Finished!, page twelve)

And here is an order of less pressing issues that I think should be addressed.

• Hydra's Demise being too weak. (Finished, page 13)
  
  
• mystical mark and Telkhines Ring being insane early and sharply falling off late, less so for ring since it scaled with attack speed. (Finished, page eleven)
  
  
• Polynomicon being too strong.
  
  
• Golden Bow being either completely useless or massively overpowered. (Finished, page 13)
  
  
• Hide of Leviathan being useless. (Finished?)
  
  
• Boosting less viable items like Pythagorem's Piece or Pestilence.

Once we select an issue, please stick with it until it is resolved. That is all.

Remember, we must stick with the order of things.

1. Make up a goal for the item.
   
   
2. List why this goal is necessary.
   
   
3. How will you solve the problem?

I'll start.

I will propose the goal of buffing Frostbound Hammer to bring it to viability for the first time.

This goal is needed since it is currently considered one of the worst items in the game, and even on the niche gods like Bastet or Guan Yu, its use is limited.

How? Buff the slow to 20%, giving it a more noticeable impact. I refuse to bring it to 25% because I dislike Gem of Isolation.

Thoughts? Got an idea of your own? Is this idea good enough, and can we move on to the next topic?

Well, let's just start from the top, Frostbound Amulet. (Ninja'd)

I actually gave my proposal in a thread a while ago, I'll see if I can find it...

Bingo!



The numbers will need to be adjusted, as I was getting numbers out of my arse to explain my point. but I would like this general direction for these items.

I dislike your change to Frostbound Amulet for the same reason I dislike squall: Even if it is for a short duration, such large slow times are virtually indistinguishable from roots, from the perspective of a god who is about to be run over by a dragon spirit.

I see no reason why it shouldn't be 25% like everyone else, but with a slightly longer duration and a short "cooldown." I like your mechanic about a "bursty" utility item, which reminds me of League.

About the Frostbound Hammer passive change, I feel that it simply adds unneeded power. It is plenty effective by itself, believe me.

The buff to 30 physical power is fine and brings it to the same level of bruiser staples like Titan's Bane, but I an concerned that increasing this item's power level would make it used by hunters or assassins.

As for the health increase, keep in mind that this is an early game item for the gods that use it, like Odin or Vamana or Chaac, so I'd be wary of increasing its early game strength by too much.

EDIT: Maybe I just hate CC.

Gods in Assault and maybe Arena.

Subzero, you got confused between amulet and hammer in your comment.

I'll address what I think of many items;

• Frostbound Amulet
  
  Make it so that it has a 10% slow for 1.5 seconds for ability hits and max 2 stacks while duration stacks as well, so the final effect is 20% slow for 3 seconds.
  
  Reason - The slow was nearly unnoticeable. And It did almost nothing (especially for fast gods like Mercury or Bakasura). So, we'll buff it. But the reason I didn't put 20% slow for 2 seconds for 1 ability hit is so that gods with long range poke, like Sun Wukong and his The Magic Cudgel won't be able to slow you from a mile away. That way, gods like Guan Yu will benefit it a lot. THe only thing that I'm worried about is for oidn and his gungir might which might be a little OP considering it'll be a 70% slow. But then again, Ao Kuang's squall applies Gem of Isolation as well.
  
  
• Golden Bow
  
  Make it a viable choice,especially for gods with built in crit chance like Artemis and Ne Zha who do not need Malice.
  
  So, increase the critical strike chance to 15% and the splash radius to 20 fit radius, which I believe is like Heart Bomb.
  

  Reason - The critical strike chance wasn't effective enough and the radius of the passive effect was practically useful only combined with No Escape or Pillar of Agony.
  
  Another option is to make it apply on-hit effects OR make it lifesteal as well.

  
  
  
• Midgardian Mail
  
  Make its passive effective. Relying on chance isn't quite good enough. Not in a MOBA. I think only crits are luck-based and Marked for Death.
  
  So, (not an original idea by me) make it so that anyone who basic attacks will have their attack speed and movement speed reduced by 10% for 1 seconds, duration stacks as well.
  
  Reason - It just wasn't a viable item. Sovereignty is clearly the superior choice, as it provides more health, more physical protection and magical protection, which some of them are in an aura for few more pennies. The only ones I really it's currently useful against is Artemis and Bakasura.
  
  
  
• Polynomicon
  
  Make it so that it really applies to your next basic attack, whether it hits or not.
  
  Reason - Gods like Chronos could just easily Accelerate and spam auto attacks in a general direction, and the first that hits no matter if you miss caused 500 damage. And yes, I know that skill and difficulty aren't really a factor, not for balancing, but that's the least they can do with this item.
  
  
• Hydra's Demise
  
  This one is an oddball. I don't think there's even one god on which it's good. Unless you are building Transcendence, Heartseeker and devourer's gloves, you won't be using that one. Hydra's Lament is just always the better choice.
  
  So, remove it. Simple as that. Why have an item that's bested by it's parallel one without any niche of it being in the game? Also, shouldn't we just change Hydra's Lament to being 100% of your physical power? I don't really know about base physical power since it isn't written in the game where you build items, but when i play Hun Batz for example, which is the only one with which I use Hydra's Lament, at level 20 it does about 150 damage. I'll leave it to ones that actually know about base power to decide.
  
  
• Gem of Isolation
  
  Maybe do with it what I did to forstbound amulet? just make it 10% for 1.5 seconds per stack, max 2 stacks?

It's banned in assault. And almost never have I seen it in arena. They are completely useless items. Shouldn't be in the game. Also Devourer's Touch and Warlock's Ring.


I would like to address another item: Gauntlet of Thebes

Why? Just why?
Who should get this item other than tanks? Nobody.
Why should tanks farm stacks? and up to 100? They shouldn't.
Why should it give only a meer 950 health and 9 HP5 when you have warlock's sash which grants you almost the same amount of health and much more magical power and mana? Just why?

Spiked Shell

WHY DO YOU EXIST?

Static Shard

THE HORROR

Have you ever used Spiked Shell when a Hades manages to get your entire team with Pillar of Agony? That is why it exist.

Hand of the Gods needs to be changed to only affect one target. It would still be a useful jungling active without being too strong in lanes. Remember, Fist of the Gods keeps it from being completely useless lategame and can give a lot of gods extra CC they don't normally have.

Eye of Providence just needs to go completely, and just make Wards a bit cheaper.

Hydra's Demise is stuck in a design trap. You can't make it too strong because of the fact that something called Deathbringer criticals exist for physical-based gods. If the procs on the Hydra's items were too good, they'd end up becoming physical Polynomicons that'd make hunters too powerful.

Gem of Isolation is fine, it's just that it makes skills that already apply slows much stronger than they should be. I think a better solution is to change the way slow stacking works in general.

Polynomicon needs lower damage, period. It's one of the reasons mages can carry games really hard in SMITE compared to LoL where they tend to fall off lategame in favor of physical ranged.

Golden Bow needs to stop working with on-hits, and just get better stats. Splash damage is not a bad passive and works extremely well if you can force enemies into tight spaces (i.e. jungle corridors). If I can score multikills from Nu Wa's Flame Strike splashes (which is also a 15ft radius), I'm very certain hunters with Golden Bow can do the same.

Hide of Leviathan needs a flat-out rework. CC reduction is only a useful stat on squishy gods who are better off taking a Magi's Blessing anyways. There's a reason why a lot of tanks get Midas' Boots and trade up for Shoes of Focus later on: the armor is meager and the CC resilience is useless, especially after the recent change to CC diminishing returns.